Life With Derek: Enemies
by Anime Girl23
Summary: DISCONTINUED! They say that everyone has enemies. Derek is no exception. When one group decides to make him pay it affects everyone. Will it bring Casey and Derek closer? Or will he die before they can resolve anything? Will be DerekCasey!
1. One Week Left

Hey, everyone! I'm revising all of my stories and lucky for you, Life With Derek is playing on the TV next to me. I had originally planned for this story to be a long one-shot, then it was going to be a two shot, then a romance-less story, and now, I have a story in my head _with_ a sequel.

**Note**: Since this is the revised version, there will be changed, moved, added, or deleted lines or scenes. Hope that you all like it! .

Disclaimer: If I owned it would I be writing this? Seriously.

Life With Derek: Enemies

Chapter 1

One Week Left

_**Venturi/MacDonald House**_

"Smerek!"

"Smarti!" Derek called back as his little sister ran into his arms. Laughing, Derek lifted Marti into his arms and over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. Dropping her onto the cushions of the aging couch, he began to tickle her, letting out a small chuckle of his own as her childish laughter bounced off the walls of the living room.

"Derek, you're going to hurt her doing that one day," Casey said, glaring at her stepbrother.

"Yeah, yeah," Derek said, nodding. In all honesty, he wasn't really paying attention.

"Idiot," Casey mumbled, walking into the kitchen

"Casey!"

"Yeah, Marti?" Casey called back.

"I'm cold!" Marti complained.

"Mind turning up the heat, Case? This isn't Alaska!" Derek yelled.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." Walking over to the thermostat, she turned it up a few notches.

"I'm still cold!" Marti whined.

"Give it a few minutes, Smarti," Derek said as his sister climbed into his lap.

Cuddling into her brother's warm chest, Marti looked up at Derek, her eyes shining in excitement. "Smerek, how much longer until Christmas?"

"One week," Derek said. "You know how long that is?"

Marti bit her lip softly, thinking. "Um…seven days!" she exclaimed after a moment.

"You got it," Derek said, smiling at his sister as he poked softly in the side.

"Can I open my gifts now?" Marti asked, giving her brother her best pleading look.

"No," Derek said, shaking his head a little. "If you open them now, you won't have anything to open on Christmas morning."

"What about the ones from Santa?" Marti questioned, tilting her head.

"Don't you know his rule?" Derek asked, in mock shock.

"No," Marti said, shaking her head. "What is it?"

"If you open your gifts before Christmas, you get put on the Naughty List. And you know those kids get coal, right?"

"Right!" Marti chirped.

Leaning against the doorway, Casey watched as Derek interacted with his little sister. _Maybe he's not so bad_, she thought, smiling a little.

"Hey, Klutzilla!"

_Or maybe I was wrong._ Glaring at Derek, Casey walked up behind him and hit him on the head. "Will you quit it?"

"Why?" Derek asked. "If I stop, I can't annoy you."

Casey glared at Derek. "Is that all you live for?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Derek said as Marti silently slid off his lap and ran up the stairs calling for Edwin. Looking up at Casey, he rolled his eyes. "Well, look at that. Klutzilla made Marti run away."

"Oh, shut up," Casey said, glaring. "Your mom must have really gotten sick of you. You act so immature."

Standing up quickly, Derek glared at Casey. "Don't mention my mother," he said, anger beginning to coat his voice.

"Why not? You the reason she left?" Casey asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't know a thing about her," Derek said, towering over Casey. He was a good three inches taller than her. "I don't mention your father, so I don't even want to hear you bring my mother up."

"You probably haven't brought him up, because it isn't low enough for you," Casey said bitterly. "Do you want to know why he's gone? He decided he'd rather be with my third grade teacher."

"Well, I'm sorry about that," Derek said insincerely. He was too angry to care. "You want to know the reason I haven't brought your dad up? It's because your dad is your business just like my mom is mine."

"Well you are my brother now, so it kind of is my business," Casey said. "Besides, I told you about my dad."

"Step," Derek said softly.

"What?"

"You're my stepsister. I don't have to tell you a thing. Besides, I never asked to know about your dad. You volunteered that information," Derek bit out.

"Fine," Casey said, mentally kicking herself for telling him. Falling onto the couch, she turned on the TV. "Just go away."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Derek said, grabbing his coat and walking out the door.

Watching as her favorite TV show began she sighed. _What did happen to his mom?_

TBC

Anime Girl23: And Chapter One Revised is finished! Go me! Ha-ha. My Zoey 101 story took me two hours per chapter. This took me...like forty-five minutes.

Derek: Yeah, yeah. Just get on with it.

Anime Girl23: Oh, don't be mean! Anyways, I'll get to work on revising chapter two. So go press the button that says "GO" and leave a review!

Until next time!


	2. Finding Derek

Hey, everyone! Okay, I've finished revising chapter one, and here we are for chapter two!

Note: Since this is the revised version, there will be changed, moved, added, or deleted lines or scenes. Hope that you all like it! .

Disclaimer: Um…Yeah…right…I wish.

Life With Derek: Enemies

Chapter 2

Finding Derek

_**Streets**_

The streets of Canada were quiet today. The weather, being below zero had sent a lot of people into their warm homes and the people that were on the street were hurrying home to be with their families. Well...all except for one. A young teenager, not even eighteen, walked down the snow dusted sidewalk, his eyes on his feet. His brown hair was steadily growing damp and some strands of his brown locks already clung to his face. His name? Derek Venturi.

_Maybe I shouldn't be so mad_, Derek thought as he walked down the street. _She doesn't know what happened._ Stuffing his hands further into his pockets, he turned his brown eyes towards the sky as snow began to fall. Watching as it grew heavier, he continued to walk down the sidewalk, refusing to go home. He just wasn't ready to face Casey yet. Not after that fight. It had hurt too many feelings and they both needed time to cool down.

Feeling a hand grab his shoulder and another cover his mouth, Derek frantically turned his eyes to see his attackers. His vision flashed a painful white as he felt something hard connect with his head. As darkness began to gather at his eyes and slowly seep over his vision, Derek watched as the faces of his attackers blurred. No longer able to keep his eyes open, Derek's body fell forward into his captor's arms as his consciousness slipped away.

---

"Casey?"

"Yeah, George?" Casey asked, glancing up from the TV.

"Have you seen Derek?" George asked.

"He walked out a little while ago. He's probably heading home," Casey said, shrugging. Glancing at the clock, her eyebrows shot up. "He left three hours ago," she said, astonished.

"You're sure it was three?" George asked, worried.

"Yeah," Casey said, nodding. "I'm positive."

"Do you know if he took his cell?" George asked, glancing anxiously at the phone.

"I think so. I remember seeing it sticking out of his pocket," Casey said, watching George dial what she guessed was Derek's number. "You okay?"

"Worried," George said, running his fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself down. "He's not picking up."

Standing and grabbing her jacket, Casey quickly put it on. "I'll go look."

"Are you sure? I can get my keys and go."

"Yeah," Casey said, nodding. "I'm the reason he left. Besides, you just got home. Sit down. Watch TV. I won't be long."

Walking out the door, Casey headed down the sidewalk, avoiding the black ice. "Derek!" she called. Getting no answer, she continued down the slippery road. "Derek! Come on! This isn't funny!"

A small glint in front of her caught Casey's eye. Seeing that the snow was thrown around as if there had been some kind of struggle, Casey saw something that made her breath catch in her throat.

Derek's cell phone.

Taking the broken cell phone into her hand, Casey felt panic begin to grow in the pit of her stomach. "Derek!"

A soft sound to her right made Casey turn her head. All she saw were trees, but despite her uneasiness, Casey slowly edged off of the street and into the woods. "Derek?" she called, walking further into the woods and further from the road.

A crumpled shape, slowly being buried in snow, lay not too far from where Casey stood. "Derek?" Tentatively moving closer, Casey saw her stepbrother's trademark leather jacket. "Oh, God," she gasped. "Derek!" Rushing over, she fell to her knees, hearing as the snow crunched under her weight.

Brushing the snow away, Casey was met with Derek's face. "Derek, wake up," she pleaded.

Derek didn't respond.

Blinking back worried tears, Casey's eyes roamed over Derek's face. Frozen blood and red tinged ice clung to her stepbrother's face and his lips were slowly taking on a bluish hue. His brown eyes were hidden behind his eyelids, one of which was slowly beginning to darken and swell.

Turning her head away as a tear slipped past, Casey reached for her cell phone; Derek's was useless. With trembling hands, she dialed 9-1-1.

"9-1-1 Emergency," the operator calmly stated, most likely for the sixteenth time that day.

"Hello?"

"Yes, who is this?" the operator asked, sensing Casey's distress.

"Casey MacDonald," Casey choked out. "I need an ambulance. My brother's hurt."

"Where are you?"

"A bit into the woods at Maple Street," Casey said, shrugging off her jacket and placing it over Derek's shivering form.

"What happened?" the operator asked.

"I don't know," Casey admitted. "He ran out a few hours ago and I just found him."

"Is there a pulse?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it's that strong," Casey said, after a moment of struggling to find the right spot.

"Is he breathing?" the operator questioned further.

"Kind of," Casey said, feeling tears gather in her eyes again. "It's more like gasping and shivering."

"Is there any skin discoloration?"

"Yeah," Casey said, nodding even though the operator couldn't see her. "His lips are blue and he's really pale."

The sound of sirens reached Casey's ears. "I hear the ambulance."

"All right; just stay on until they reach you both okay?"

"Okay," Casey said. Watching as the paramedics found her and rushed over, she quickly thanked the woman on the phone and hung up.

"What's his name?"

"Derek," Casey said quietly.

"Derek?" the paramedic called. "Can you hear me?" Shaking his head, he sighed. "No response."

"There're definitely some injured ribs. They're hindering his breathing. The cold isn't helping either," another paramedic said. Placing a mask over his face to assist his breathing, the two paramedics carefully lifted Derek onto the stretcher.

Looking at Casey, the first paramedic quickly got her attention. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"Stepbrother," Casey corrected.

"Are you riding to the hospital with him?"

Casey nodded, following the two back towards the ambulance. Feeling the hot air in the vehicle hit her face, Casey sat down and slid her gloves off her hands. Placing her now bare hands on Derek's hand, she gasped. "He's freezing!"

"Hypothermia," the first paramedic explained. "We won't be able to tell how serious it is until we reach the hospital. Though, judging by his skin tone and lips, it's pretty serious. We don't have the proper equipment to check everything needed." He looked up. "There's the hospital."

Shooting her head up, Casey saw the white building growing larger as they drove towards it. _Thank God._

TBC

Anime Girl23: Go me! Two chapters in two days! And on the same story too! I am so proud of myself.

Derek: I was conscious for a paragraph!

Anime Girl23: Actually it was two. :P Anyway, please review! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can!

Until next time!


	3. Calling Home

Hey, everyone! Okay, so here's the next chapter. There was a random Life With Derek marathon on Disney. Either I missed the announcements for it or it was a spur of the moment thing. Ha-ha. I don't know. Anyway, it got me thinking of fanfics and I really am trying to stop myself from starting a whole new one, so I figured I'd revise this, revise chapter 4, type up chapter 5 (in my notebook), and try to finish this so I can make my angst-y sequel.

**Note:** Since this is the revised version, there will be changed, moved, added, or deleted lines or scenes. Hope that you all like it! .

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it.

Life With Derek: Enemies

Chapter 3

Calling Home

_**Hospital**_

Casey ran into the hospital along with the paramedics, her hand clutched to the side of the stretcher. She was terrified. Derek's breathing was getting worse and she couldn't believe it, but he was getting colder. If it weren't for her stepbrother's attempts for air, she would have thought he was dead.

"You'll need to wait here," a nurse said to Casey.

Wanting to object, but knowing she couldn't, Casey nodded, watching as Derek disappeared behind the swinging doors. She sunk into one of the hard chairs, feeling utterly defeated. _I shouldn't have made him leave._

Her head snapped up. She had totally forgotten about calling home. Reluctantly standing from the chair, she walked out the doors and into the cold. With trembling hands, she dialed her house.

"Hello?"

"Lizzie, can you put George on?" Casey knew she hadn't been able to hide the crack in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked, worried.

"Just put George on."

"Okay…"

Hearing Lizzie call for her stepfather, Casey tried to regain her breath.

"Casey?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah," Casey said, holding back tears.

"Where are you?"

"The hospital," she said softly.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Casey said, shaking her head even though he couldn't see her. "He was in the woods when I found him. He looked like he got attacked or something."

"I'll get everyone and come," George said, his voice sounded like he was in shock.

"Okay." Hanging up, Casey headed back inside. Taking the necessary papers from the head nurse, she began to fill them out, mumbling to herself as she went. "Name…Derek Venturi. Birthday…August 9, 1989. Age...17. Father…George Venturi. Mother-"

"Excuse me, miss."

Snapping her head up, Casey saw a young woman sitting beside her. "Hi," Casey mumbled.

Taking the Kleenex that the woman held out to her, Casey noticed for the first time that wet dots covered Derek's forms.

"Do you need to call anyone?"

"No," Casey said, shaking her head. "I already called my stepfather."

"The boy's your stepbrother?"

"Yeah," Casey said softly. _Reading over my shoulder_, she thought._ Rude much?_

"Casey!"

Looking up quickly, Casey saw her family rushing over.

"Is he okay?" George asked.

"No word yet," Casey said, shaking her head. Looking up she noticed that the woman had disappeared. _Weird._

Her family was a mess. Looking to her blood relatives she saw that Nora looked close to tears and Lizzie seemed like she hadn't even processed what was happening. Casey wondered how much George had said to them. Moving her eyes to her stepsiblings, she saw that Edwin was consistently mumbling that it was all just a bad dream and Marti…she just looked confused. Turning to see the last member of her dysfunctional family she saw that George looked as if he was reliving a nightmare. Casey could swear she heard him mumbling 'No, not again,' under his breath.

"I'll fill these out," George said, taking the forms without waiting for a reply.

Casey didn't say a word. Why would she? She barely knew enough about Derek to fill out the basics.

George finished almost thirty minutes later. Not saying a word, he stood, taking the papers to the front desk. Returning, he sat beside Nora, lifting Marti into his arms. His arms around her tightened slightly as she snuggled into his chest.

"I want Smerek," the youngest said.

George kissed the top of Marti's head. "I know, baby. I know."

---

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to what seemed like hours as the family waited for news on their eldest teenager. It seemed as if no one knew what to say, so nothing but silence was heard.

"Who's here for Derek Venturi?" a doctor asked, walking into the waiting room.

"We are," Nora said, standing.

"Is he okay?" Edwin asked.

The doctor stared at the anxious family and then the slumbering child before turning her eyes to her clipboard. She shifted slightly from foot to foot, knowing she'd have to start with the worst thing. "Aside from the cuts and bruises that will heal with time, there was one injury that complicated his recovery." She took a breath. "Whoever your son's attackers were, they didn't choose him at random."

"How do you know?" Nora asked.

The doctor threw a glance at Lizzie and Edwin. "There were…they had weapons."

Casey felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Weapons?" she squeaked. "I didn't see…I…is he okay?"

George swallowed. "What happened?"

The doctor's eyes returned to her clipboard. "Your son lost a lot of blood from a stab wound in his side that we're assuming was made from a kitchen knife from the size. Him being in the cold for so long…it didn't help. He has a severe case of hypothermia, but we have been able to rise his temperature a few degrees," the doctor said. She loved being able to help people, but telling the family was the hardest part of the job. The crushed faces, the tears. But at least today she wasn't informing a family that their loved one hadn't made it.

"Is that all?" George asked.

"No," the doctor said, shaking her head sadly. "There are a few things that are making this a little more complicated. By the looks of the head injury, we're guessing that he was initially knocked unconscious by a pole of some sort. At the beginning it wouldn't have been too much to worry about, however, after being knocked unconscious there were more blows to his skull, causing a small fracture. The important question now is: do you know anyone that would believe they had reason to harm your son?"

"No," Nora said. "I mean, we all know he's had disagreements, but I didn't think anyone would have gone this far."

"The paramedics had said something about his ribs," Casey said suddenly.

"Some of his ribs were bruised and one had been fractured. The pressure of laying on his stomach and the hypothermia were causing him to have problems breathing."

"When can we go home?" Marti asked, wiping sleep from her eyes. She had just woken up. "I want Smerek to read me a story."

The doctor stared sadly at the small girl. Glancing at George and Nora, she saw the small nod indicating that she was able to talk to Marti. She knelt down to the child. "What's your name?"

"Marti."

"Well, hi, Marti. I'm Rosie Winters."

Marti smiled softly and gave a tiny wave. "Hi." She put on her best pleading face. "Can Smerek come home now?"

Hearing the affectionate nickname, Rosie swallowed the lump in her throat. This was going to be hard. "Marti, your brother isn't feeling too good right now. He's going to stay here for a little while so that he can try to be all better for Christmas."

"Smerek doesn't like being sick," Marti said. "Want him to get better now."

Rosie felt tears prick her eyes. This little girl loved her brother so much and her heart was breaking telling Marti that her big brother couldn't go home. "It's going to take some time. You want to make sure he's all better, right? You wouldn't want him to have to come back."

Marti shook her head. "Smerek wouldn't wanna come back."

Rosie nodded, standing. Watching as Marti turned and started to dance around the waiting room singing Christmas carols, she turned to the rest of Derek's family.

"Thank you," George said. "I had no idea what to say."

Rosie waved it off. She didn't want of need any thanks. It had been necessary. Marti was so young. "It's hard, but it's necessary. You need to sugarcoat it for children her age, no matter how mature they can be."

"Marti did ask a good question. When can he come home?" Casey asked.

"When he wakes up we will examine him and determine his release date. We don't want to send him home too early and chance him having a relapse; although, a relapse can still be possible, mind you," Rosie explained.

"When will he wake up?" Lizzie asked.

"It could be a couple of hours; could be a couple days. That's up to him," Rosie said.

"Can we see him?" Edwin asked.

Nodding Rosie replied, "Room 129."

"Thank you," Nora said, taking hold of George's hand. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," George said.

"Let's go!" Marti said, wanting to see her brother. She had just returned to the group after finishing her song. She ran down the hall, hopping up and down.

"We're coming," Casey said as Lizzie took her hand.

Kicking a bottle cap on the floor, Edwin followed his family. "Some Christmas," he grumbled.

TBC

Anime Girl23: Yay! Chapter 3 is done and revised!

Derek: I wasn't even in it!

Anime Girl23: You're unconscious!

Derek: So?

Anime Girl23: Oh, just be quiet and try and be tolerable. Anyway, please review! It encourages me to write!

Until next time!


	4. Memories Of A Day Long Past

Hey, everyone! Okay, so I noticed a couple errors in this so here's the revised version! Hope you all like it! Aw, crap. The show I was watching was rhyming and now I have to do all I can so I don't kill this story. EVIL DANNY PHANTOM! AHHH!!!!

**NOTE**: Since this is the revised version, there will be alterations like...oh, forget it. You've read the same note in the last three chapters. I ain't typing it again.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, so the wonderful Derek/Casey shall never be.

Life With Derek: Enemies

Chapter 4

Memories Of A Day Long Past

_**Hospital**_

With lowered heads and nervous steps, the family approached the door to Derek's room. They all knew that it wasn't going to be pretty. It wasn't because Derek was hurt. It wasn't because of the machines they were going to see. It wasn't because of the tears that would fall. It was because they were in this building for one reason. Derek. A vital member of their strange family was here and to make it worse, he probably had no idea they were even there.

Placing her shaking hand on the knob, Casey pushed the door open, trying to be as silent as possible. She heard the gasps of her family and knew that it was hard for them. She had been the one to find Derek. She knew how he had looked out in the cold. But that didn't mean it was any easier for her.

Silently, they all gathered, pulling up chairs around Derek. Marti had climbed into Nora's lap and Edwin seemed to be leaning into George for comfort. No one knew what to say. What were they supposed to talk about? Nothing else mattered right now except for Derek. He needed to wake up.

George chuckled softly. "I think this is the first time we've all been totally silent."

"Yeah," Casey agreed. They were all trying to be so quiet right now as if they were trying to not disturb Derek when they should be talking to him so that he could actually hear them and wake up.

As Casey stared at Derek, she noted that though his injuries still marred his features, he looked better than he had in the snow. Gone was the blood stained clothes and chestnut hair and the dirt that smeared face. The cuts had long since ceased bleeding. The bruises had grown darker. A bandage was secured at the back of his head and Casey could just barely see the speckle of blood that had soaked through. Derek's right arm was wrapped in an ACE bandage where it lay over the blankets. His lips were still blue, but not as bad as before and Casey knew his skin must be freezing. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Derek felt cold or if he could even feel anything in his current state. If it hadn't been for the heart monitor, Casey would have sworn that Derek was dead. She could barely see his chest move with his breaths. Her eyes drifted to Derek's stomach that she knew must be heavily bandaged.

A knock came from the door.

"I'm sorry," a young nurse said apologetically. "Visiting hours are over, but if you're coming back tomorrow they begin at twelve." She knew they'd come back. Even though not a word was said, she knew. It's what family did. They never go away.

Nodding, Nora let Marti down. "Say bye to your brother, okay?"

Marti nodded. Kissing Derek on the cheek, Marti said, "Night, Smerek." The family noted sadly that despite seeing her brother's appearance, Marti didn't understand what was going on.

Everyone else gave the injured member of their family a small form of goodbye before exiting. Except for Casey. She didn't want to leave. She had seen him in the woods. What if the guys who did this came back? What if his heart stopped? What if he woke up? She didn't know how long he had been alone, but she didn't want him to be alone anymore. They fight, yes, but he was Derek. It was too hard to think of life without her ever obnoxious stepbrother. She had lived with him too long.

Casey knew that her family would be back to get her soon. She had better make this quick. Exhaling, Casey opened her mouth to speak. "Derek…I don't even know if you can hear me, but you have to wake up."

That's all she could say before her mother came in.

"You okay?" Nora asked, placing a hand on Casey's shoulder.

Casey gave her mother a small nod. "Yeah," she said. "It's just been a long day."

Bending down, Nora placed a kiss on Derek's forehead and watched as Casey gave Derek's hand a gentle squeeze. Taking Casey's hand, the two slowly left the room and joined the rest of their family.

It was a quiet ride home. No one knew what to say. Earlier the only topic that was on anyone's mind was Christmas, but now? Now, they could only focus on praying for Derek's recovery. They had no idea when he would wake up.

They entered the house just as they had entered the car. Quietly. After yelling something about her Barbie movie, Marti had gone directly to the TV and had begun to dig through the old videos with the help of Casey. The others had gone into the kitchen to get something to snack on.

"Movie!" Marti yelled happily. Putting the unlabeled video in Casey's lap, Marti pleaded for them to watch it.

"Hold on a second," Casey said. Turning to the kitchen, she yelled, "Marti found an old movie, but it isn't labeled."

"It's probably just and old home movie," George called back. "We kept losing the labels." George walked into the room with everyone else following him.

"Movie!" Marti yelled again.

"Okay, okay," Casey said. Sliding the cassette into the machine, Casey took her spot on the floor beside Lizzie before pressing Play.

Happy voices filled the room as a day from long ago filled the TV screen. They watched as a younger version of George lifted a much smaller Derek into his arms.

_"Dad!" Derek yelled happily as his father threw his small body over his strong shoulder. He couldn't be any older than six._

_"Put him down, George," a young voice said, her voice full of humor. A figure moved into the camera frame. Her brown hair fell a couple inches below her shoulders and her honey brown eyes shined with so much life._

_"Happy Birthday, Mom!" Derek said, hugging his mother._

_"Happy Birthday, Michelle," George said, placing a soft kiss on his wife's cheek._

_"Mama," a small voice said._

_At Michelle's feet was a boy no older than two._

_"Hey, Edwin." Michelle took her middle child into her arms watching as George cradled a small baby in his own arms._

_"Happy Burfay, Mama," Edwin said, making everyone want to go 'Awww.'_

_"Thanks, baby," Michelle said, kissing Edwin's nose._

_George lifted Marti in front of his face, saying, "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"_

_"Why thank you, Marti," Michelle said, giggling._

_The scene faded out, along with the laughs and giggles of the Venturi family._

"I remember that," George said sadly. "It had been Michelle's birthday and Derek had made her a plate with all of their hand prints on it. She had said she was going to show it off to all of her friends." He fell silent, looking at his hands.

"But?" Lizzie asked, sensing there was more.

"She never got to," Edwin said, staring at the floor. "She was killed later that day."

Casey's eyes widened. "When did this happen?"

"December," George said softly. "December 18, 1995."

"Wait," Lizzie said. "Today's December 18th."

George nodded sadly. "I know."

TBC

Anime Girl23: I hope you all liked it!

Derek: This isn't going to become some sob story, right?

Anime Girl23: No. We're just going into your past a little. Anyway, please review!

Until next time!


	5. A Plead For Normalcy

Hey, everyone and Happy Holidays! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. I've been writing it in a notebook, but I _hate_ copying things from notebooks to computer. It gets so annoying and I kept putting it off. But I'd promised my friend I'd get my ass moving, so you can all thank her.

**NOTE**: I've revised chapters 1-4, so if you've read this before _please_ go back and reread. Some chapters aren't too different, but other's I _have_ added to. I can't remember at the moment, but I may make references to my added scenes during later chapters.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Life With Derek.

Life With Derek: Enemies

Chapter 5

A Plead For Normalcy

_**Venturi/MacDonald House**_

Casey sat on her bed, staring at her hands as her mind reeled. Why hadn't she known about Derek's mom? Where was Marti going all the times she went to visit her 'mom'? Why were there no pictures of Michelle in the house? Nothing made sense. Falling back into her pillows, Casey groaned.

"You okay?" Lizzie asked. She had been watching her sister from the doorway.

Turning to her sister, Casey motioned for Lizzie to come sit next to her. "I don't get it," she said. "Why didn't they tell us?"

"Maybe it was too hard," Lizzie said, shrugging. "We don't know how she died."

"It was a car accident."

Turning Casey and Lizzie saw Edwin standing at the door.

"A car accident?" Casey echoed.

Edwin nodded. "I don't really know the details. All I really know is that Derek was in the car with her when it happened."

"Edwin!" George called. "I need your help down here!"

"Coming!" Edwin called back. Turning to his stepsisters, he cast a final, mourn filled glance at them and walked out the door.

"Case?"

Casey turned to her sister. "Yeah?"

"Is he gonna die?" Lizzie asked, her voice soft and scared.

"No way," Casey said, wrapping an arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "He left in the middle of a fight. No way would Derek Venturi let me win." Her lips twitched, forming an almost minuscule smile. "He's too stubborn." Placing a kiss on Lizzie's head, she met her sister's eyes. "Now, you go to bed. It's getting late."

Nodding, Lizzie placed a kiss on Casey's cheek, jumping off the bed. "Night, Case."

"Love you, kid."

Lizzie smiled at her sister. "Love you, too."

As Lizzie left the room, Casey fell back onto her bed, closing her eyes. It didn't matter that she was still in her clothes, nor did it matter that every other teenager her age was still out partying. For Casey, all that mattered was that she rest.

---

It started out fine. Another normal dream. Marti was meowing under the table, Lizzie and Edwin were plotting, and Nora and George were in the basement.

Now, you're probably wondering what became of our favorite pair. Casey sat on the old couch, Derek beside her in his chair. _What's with him? He's never been this quiet before._ Turning to Derek, she screamed.

Derek sat in his seat, head fallen back. His skin was cut and bruised and blood poured from his abdomen. His lips were blue along with most of his body.

Casey screamed again.

Derek's chest was still. He wasn't breathing.

"NO!" Casey's eyes shot open and she slipped off her bed. Lying in a heap on the floor, she held a hand over her heart. It was racing. _It was just a dream. Just a dream._

But something still bit at her. Was he okay? The first night was always the most critical. He could have—

_No. _Casey shook her head. _He's not dead._ Her eyes turned towards his bedroom. _But he isn't home either._

She had to make sure he was okay; if he was alive. She definitely couldn't call him. Coma patients couldn't answer phones.

She stood and grabbed her jacket. She was going to see him.

---

Dressed in a heavy winter jacket, Casey walked up to the entrance of the hospital. Walking through the doors, she slipped past security and hospital personnel, feeling like she was in some kind of spy movie. _Finally_, she thought, _Babe Raider is good for something._

Reaching the door to Derek's room, she opened the door, slipping in. Shutting the door behind her, Casey felt tears spring to her eyes as she stared at Derek.

Moonlight drifted in from the windows, illuminating Derek's face with an unearthly glow. Had it not been for the cuts and bruises, he would have appeared too be as innocent as Marti.

Casey smiled. _Or maybe more._ She sat beside his bed, gently tracing his face, going around his injuries. She did her best to pretend that he was only sleeping and that the marks and coldness of his skin was nonexistent. It didn't work. Derek was in a coma and even though she knew it, she didn't want to believe it.

Her hand reached his and she intertwined her fingers with his frigid ones.

"Hey, she whispered.

Derek didn't move.

Casey shook her head. "This is crazy. You probably can't even hear me." She sighed. "I…I know about your mom. Derek, I'm so sorry. I didn't know she had…I didn't know." A sob escaped her lips. "You have to wake up. This is killing everyone. Your dad is remembering your mom, my mom has no idea what to do, and Edwin is so…I can't even describe it. Hurt, anger, fear. He's so scared he'll lose you too. Lizzie is so confused and Marti…she thinks you're Sleeping Beauty. We had no idea what to tell her."

Shuffling outside made Casey snap her mouth shut.

As the steps faded away, Casey felt something drip down her face. She hadn't even realized she was crying until the one sob from earlier returned and more tears slid down her face, some falling with a splash on Derek's unmoving face.

Her shoulders shook with her shuddering breaths and throughout the entire time, Derek didn't move. Not a flinch, not a smirk, not even a twitch.

Casey could do nothing but cry harder. For once, she wished that Derek would just insult her. It didn't happen.

_Of course_, Casey thought bitterly. _The one time I want him to annoy me, he can't._

She sobbed. "Derek, you have to wake up. It's only day one and this family is falling apart. We need you. _I _need you."

TBC

Anime Girl23: So? What'd you think?

Derek: What have I said about me not doing tears?

Anime Girl23: Oh, get over it. _Rolls eyes_ Baby.

Derek: No baby has this body.

Anime Girl23: And thank God. Otherwise I'd be a major pervert.

Derek: Oh, God. She's serious.

Anime Girl23: Oh, yeah. Anyway, please review! I'm working my ass off to get a bunch of holiday chapters up for most of my stories and I need encouragement that you all are still reading! And before I let you all go to stuff your faces with food (Because how can you not?), I would like to quote Booth from the awesome show _Bones_.

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE DAY! An eve and a day. It's a Christmas miracle.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Until next time!


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